This year it will be lobster from Aldi - broiled. Easy, quick and not an everyday indulgence:)
He will steam the small, organic potatoes - just add butter and salt, he likes sour cream and chives on the side.
Veggie will be either frozen sweet corn (5 min-microwave or stove top) or something green. We like things like spinach - 5 minutes tops, seasoned with nutmeg and white pepper and unsalted butter, or garlic and olive oil, or Brussel sprouts in butter or perhaps a green salad with fruit and nuts.
Dessert will be homemade chocolate cup - mousse - Rachel Ray has an awesome recipe. I like to add coffee liqueur, he likes his with orange liquor. Alternatively, I could do vanilla ice cream served with brandied cherries - either one will be served with homemade whipping cream. But, Mr. R. is already hinting he'd like the chocolate cup mousse with dark chocolate - his favorite.
The chocolate mousse I can make a day ahead and the whipping cream earlier in the day and store it in the fridge in a fancy cup or glass. The brandied cherries are a specialty food (jar) item from a food catalog - expensive, but oh so good.
Just heat up, don't cook the brandied cherries and pour them over the ice cream - goes well with pistachio ice cream too.
Voila - a fancy, special dinner without a lot of fuss - so we can both enjoy the evening with a good bottle of wine.
He can deal with the music and the wine - I'll do the rest. We can sip wine and talk while we cook.
Good food calls for a good presentation - so there will be candles, crystal, and fancy china.
He brings me flowers - or more accurately, whatever garden greenery I ask for to plant this spring, which may or may not make a good table decoration.
Enjoy your Valentine's Day!